Walking through a grocery store, one of the most common things you’ll see is a young child sitting in a shopping cart’s safety seat, being guided around by a parent. While many millions of dollars have gone into designing shopping carts to be safe for children, the truth is that they can still be dangerous if not handled properly.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that there are over 16,000 cases where a child under the age of 5 falls from a shopping cart every year, and such falls are the leading cause of head injury among children. In addition, the CPSC states that up to 5% of those injuries are caused by infant carriers that were improperly stacked on top of a cart.

While many movies and TV shows will paint the idyllic picture of a shopping trip where a mother and child are able to meander through the store as they please, smiles on their faces the entire time, the truth of most shopping trips with children is much more stressful. Getting children ready to leave the house, into the car, keeping them happy in the car, unpacking them and loading them into the cart, and then securely fastening them is likely to at least double the amount of time a solo shopping trip would take. It is simply the case that many parents are in such a rush that they are more likely to take risks.

There are a few quick and simple steps you can take to ensure that your child is as safe as possible, however:

• Never put an infant carrier on top of a cart. They may look like they can fit, but they are not designed that way. Carrier manufacturers will even go out of their way sometimes to specifically warn against such usage. There are certain cart systems out there that are designed to work in such ways, but unless you are absolutely and completely 100% sure your system is designed that way, do not place the carrier on top of the cart.
• Use the buddy system. Shopping trips are much safer, easier, and less stressful when you have someone else on hand to watch for and attend to the baby. Older siblings often work just as well as adults in this capacity as well.
• ALWAYS use safety harnesses. If an accidental cart collision should happen in-store, the seatbelt is specifically designed to keep your child from falling or flying out.
• Don’t forget to take advantage of stores’ comments boxes. Retailers are continually looking for ways to improve shopping experiences, so if you let it be known that you would like to see more carts with infant carrier docks, they are infinitely more likely to make the changes. Plus, every other young parent will be singing your praises.

It goes without saying that bringing children along on shopping trips means they take more time, and much more careful attention, but with a small added effort, you can ensure that everyone who goes along is as safe as possible, and no undue injuries befall your child.